David Rollo Smith and Erica Burgin (Smith)

Wow!! Let's just pause for a moment and recognize that this is my last full week at work before my wedding!!! I can't believe this day is almost here. Even now, it is a little surreal. But I am so confident and excited and ready to take this next step with Dave. 

I get to look at this announcement every day - at my work cubicle and at home on my fridge! What an excellent man.... I love him. In 8 days I will give him the biggest hug ever! Let's get married, Dave. I love you. 

Luuuvvv, trwweewww lluuuuuuuuv

My Dave is incredible. So wise! So handsome! So strong! He is honestly better than my dream guy. I never dreamed big enough... didn't really think such a perfect-for-me man could exist! His strengths balance my imperfections. We become a pair of grinning idiots together because seeing him makes me smile, and him seeing me makes him smile, so I smile more so he smiles more so I.... well, you get the idea. He knows when to hold me and when to offer suggestions. He sacrifices one of his most precious resources - sleep - so we can Skype. There's so many dreams and futures, and wedding plans, to discuss that we often run past our 8pm/10pm curfew. 

Can I just mention how excited I am to be in the same time-zone, state, city, and HOUSE as my love in just 23 days!??

Can I also mention how it all still seems a bit surreal? Was it like that for anyone else?

In honor of this week's afternoon thunderstorms, here's a pic of Dave and I on our London/Scotland adventures. It's the first of many trips we will share together!

Bless Dave's sun-sensitive eyes :)

Busy times

Life is super busy right now! 

We didn't really send these out, since invites are coming super soon.

I'm so excited to be marrying my best friend. Sometimes it's a little crazy to think how quickly and smoothly everything has happened, but when the timing is right, things just work. I love Dave and can't wait to be with him again - for now through eternity!

Dave's Baptism

I had the best long weekend last week!! I went to Washington D.C. to see my amazing boyfriend, Dave, get baptized. He is such a wonderful man. We met earlier this year, before he had really begun investigating, and even then I was impressed by his moral character, integrity, and especially his kindness and generosity. I feel incredibly blessed to be dating such a great guy, and doubly blessed that his investigation of the church led to a conversion within him. It's a great story, but for now here are some pictures of the day. 

Colin, our mutual friend who introduced us, baptized Dave. 

Linda, Dave's mom, came up from Florida to support him. 

Not pictured are my parents, Elder and Sister Gillespie from the D.C. Temple Visitor's Center, and all the ward family that came out to support Dave on this special day!

I have the best job :)

I don't like to brag, but I really do have the best job ever! 

I didn't exactly realize I would be leading this dance... I thought I would just be a dancer! It's a teaching video, so it's pretty long. Jump to around 12:00 to see the full dance without the instruction. 

Also, if you have a Dance Dash coming to a location near you, sign up to participate! You'll have a blast, guaranteed!

Lately at work....

Every now and then we do some pretty awesome events at work. Here's my participation in the latest: March Madness!! It's a lot harder to wheel around those chairs than you think...

Our great team! We lost every game we played. But we had spirit!

Defensive skills at play

Yes, we kept switching headbands and wore them after other sweaty teams played. Yum. I do have a great bruise to show for my efforts, as well. 

My job is awesome!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm an Ireland fanatic. It was the first country I ever visited. I love the people, the music, the dance, and the food. Eight years later, I'm even more obsessed with Ireland! That three week trip shaped my life - especially my academic life. While I won't claim to be an expert in the field, I have spent the past years honing my knowledge of Irish dance history, and I have hopes of publishing a book on the subject in the next year or two. I love Ireland. 

One of my favorite pictures from that trip is of this gentleman we met on a pedestrian street in downtown Limerick. He was playing traditional tunes on his accordion, and it seemed to me like he was the quintessential representation of Ireland. Here's to the mystique and intrigue of the Emerald Isle, where the past and present live side by side on a daily basis.